What we learned from NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II

NXT’s return to Brooklyn didn’t surpass the original, but no show the promotion has put on in its history has, either. That simple fact isn’t an indictment of Brooklyn II at all, either, as it belongs in the upper echelon of the live specials of WWE’s developmental brand. It was a transitional show that likely saw its most important star saying goodbye, while introducing a few new important faces — and one sorely missed and very over finisher — into the mix.

Let’s jump right in, because this show gave us plenty to talk about.

It was a surprise to see No Way Jose, the up-and-coming developmental talent, lose here to former Impact Wrestling and indies star Austin Aries. However, Jose is still relatively new to the NXT television scene, so having an established star like Aries take him down isn’t the end for him nor his push by any means — especially not when even a crowd as notoriously fickle and heel-loving as Brooklyn’s was super into Jose the whole match.

What we learned: Jose’s potential is obvious to anyone who sees him, and while he might never be an NXT Champion before going to the main roster, his eventual success on said main roster shouldn’t be in question. He has the charisma, the connection with the crowd, and he managed to look competitive in a match with the self-proclaimed Greatest Man Who Ever Lived. He’s going to be just fine, even if he ends up living in the mid-card.

As for Aries, he’s going to move on to a feud with Hideo Itami, who has now finally reclaimed the two finishing moves that former WWE superstars Daniel Bryan and CM Punk borrowed from him while he was still wrestling in Japan. Itami was the one doing the running knee that Bryan used to win the WWE Championship on multiple occasions, and Itami was putting dudes to sleep with the GTS before Punk won adoration and titles with it, too. So, with Itami’s shoulder repaired and his moveset restored, the rest of NXT better watch out — Shinsuke Nakamura isn’t the only one here who deals in strong style.

Ember Moon made her NXT debut at the promotion’s biggest show of the year, and did so as a babyface who looks like she’ll be a major component of the brand almost immediately. She also showed off a finishing move that would make Stone Cold Steve Austin proud, as she uses a Stunner that she delivers by jumping off the top rope at her opponent. It’s a thing of beauty.

What we learned: Moon didn’t put on a quality match by herself — Billie Kay put on the kind of performance that should be reassuring to those worried that NXT sent too much talent to the main roster a month ago for the main roster brand split. She’s got a future in heeling, and she sold that Stunner like a champ.

Moon already interacted with Bayley following their matches, so it’s safe to say that NXT is going to shoot her straight to the... well, you know.

The glorious Bobby Roode was able to take down Almas, though, it wasn’t an easy task for him. The crowd was so behind Roode — who, by the way, was the heel in this match-up, and had just spent the last couple of weeks running down NXT’s fans — to the detriment of Andrade Almas. It was an entertaining match, it was just sort of backwards. At least it promised that there are likely big things ahead for both wrestlers.

What we learned: Bobby Roode’s entrance is incredible, and while he’s a talented performer in his own right, he’s also an example of how important an entrance and theme can be to a wrestler. The more impressive of the two in the ring on this night was Andrade Almas — who, by the way, cannot seem to catch a break from NXT, as they continually pair him up with super-popular opponents even though he’s supposed to be the good guy and the one on the rise — but you wouldn’t know that based on the reaction of the Brooklyn crowd.

This was a necessary showcase for Almas, though, and he even got the crowd behind him a bit even if he couldn’t necessarily get them to stop cheering Roode. He’s finding his footing, and if NXT can get him an opponent that people actually want to see him defeat, he might find it all the way.

The Revival retained their tag team championships in what is, at the least, a contender for the top tag team match on WWE television this year. The others likely also involve The Revival, who have now put on wonderful performances against Enzo and Cass, American Alpha, and the newly-christened #DIY, made up of Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. Everyone gives love to these three opponents, but it’s The Revival who have been on the other side of all of these memorable match-ups, and more people need to recognize that this common thread is no coincidence.

This match had false finishes, it had The Revival bending the rules in their favor in new and inventive ways, and it also showed off that Dash and Dawson, the old-school heels that they are, understand what they have to do in order to win better than any other tag team in not just NXT, but also in WWE. Sure, Enzo and Cass, American Alpha, and other former opponents are finding success on the main roster while The Revival are still in NXT, but they’re finding that success because they no longer have to contend with the likes of Dash and Dawson.

What we learned: This match actually asked more questions than it answered, as it’s unclear just where Ciampa and Gargano go from here. They could attempt to challenge for the belts again, and, like American Alpha before them, maybe even hold off The Revival’s onslaught of cheating and rule-bending long enough to win the tag straps. It looked, for an uncomfortable moment, like Ciampa was going to turn on Gargano following the defeat — was this the planting of a seed, or just our imaginations running to the darkest corner due to the fear that Kevin Owens instilled in us when he turned on Sami Zayn nearly two years ago?

This was an emotional affair, one that saw Bayley overcome her confidence issues fully, challenging the terrifying Asuka to hit her in the face, and doing so without any fear in her eyes. Bayley has managed to evolve even further as a character during this feud with Asuka, and while this evolution wasn’t enough to actually stop Asuka, there is no shame in that: there might not be anyone who can stop Asuka.

It wasn’t Bayley’s best match at NXT, and it wasn’t Asuka’s, either, but the story it told was compelling, and now it’s complete. There is nothing left for Bayley to accomplish in NXT: She is free to join the main roster, on either RAW or SmackDown, and will have to hope that this experience gives her the edge she needs to someday take down Asuka in a meaningful match. Not all stories need to be resolved all at once in a tidy program of a few months, you know, and as Zayn vs. Owens has shown, WWE has no problem bringing up NXT backstory when it suits their story telling for the main roster.

What we learned: NXT is changing, and might never be exactly as it was with its most important star, Bayley, leaving. That’s not a bad thing — change isn’t inherently bad, and there will be other wrestlers to love. Plus, Bayley gets to finally join the main roster, where she might have been a year ago if not for an injury that stalled her out in developmental at just the wrong time for that. In the year since, though, she’s become more than just a fan favorite: Bayley is a WWE superstar, a tremendous wrestler who helped guide NXT and its women’s division through its first major transition, and now she’ll get to help turn one of RAW or SmackDown into the destination for women’s wrestling.

Who is around to stop Asuka? At this moment, no one, but maybe Ember Moon gets there eventually. With her fantastical gimmick — the connection to the moon, the red contact lenses — maybe she has the edge that’s necessary to topple the Empress of Tomorrow. That, or Asuka gets a call-up to the main roster and has to vacate the title and keeps her undefeated streak alive. Intrigue and possibilities, y’all.

Samoa Joe might have defeated Finn Balor to become NXT Champion, and then defeated him again in his demon form to keep that title. Shinsuke Nakamura is something else entirely, though, and now he’s your new NXT Champion, as he overcame Joe’s focused rage, the hard hits, and a whole lot of choking.

Nakamura gave Joe two major knees to the head — one of which might have wrecked Samoan Joseph’s jaw, as trainers attended to him immediately after the match — and that won him his first gold in a WWE ring. It was a slow match, but not slow in a negative sense: these two larger-than-life opponents poked and prodded at each other, experimenting, until what they learned came together in a fast-paced and thrilling last few minutes that gave NXT its ninth-ever champion.

What we learned: We learned nothing we didn’t already know, though, but that’s mostly because we were already aware that Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura were amazing performers and a wonderful match-up of hard-hitting styles and tenacity. What we did get, though, were some questions: will Joe get a rematch? Is he headed to one of RAW or SmackDown now that he’s freed from the title in NXT? Who can possibly defeat Shinsuke Nakamura if Joe, who was very much the Final Boss of NXT, could not?

Chances are good Joe gets at least one rematch, and if he loses at the next NXT live special, then it’s on to WWE’s main roster. As for who can take on Shinsuke Nakamura after that and manage to relieve him of the title? As we’re in a bit of a reset period for NXT as they introduce new talent to fill-in for the promoted, it’s likely we see Bobby Roode or Austin Aries get a shot. Hideo Itami is likely your best bet to unseat Nakamura, though, and now that you’ve realized that, it’s all you should want.